John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLYB) Trading 0.8% Higher - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• John Wiley & Sons shares rose 0.8% to $53.33 in thin trading, with volume down 65% from the average session. The stock’s 50-day and 200-day moving averages were $47.22 and $39.97, respectively.
• Analysts maintained a cautious view, with Weiss Ratings reiterating a “hold (c)” rating and MarketBeat reporting an overall average rating of “Hold.”
• Wiley slightly exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.67 versus the $1.65 consensus, while revenue of $447.94 million fell short of estimates. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.3575, equivalent to a 2.7% annual yield.

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE:WLYB - Get Free Report) shares traded up 0.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $53.33 and last traded at $53.33. 120 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 65% from the average session volume of 340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $52.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of John Wiley & Sons in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold".

John Wiley & Sons Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $47.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.97. The firm has a market cap of $2.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.61 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

John Wiley & Sons (NYSE:WLYB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 16th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.02. John Wiley & Sons had a return on equity of 29.01% and a net margin of 13.22%.The firm had revenue of $447.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $450.00 million.

John Wiley & Sons Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 7th were issued a $0.3575 dividend. This represents a $1.43 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 7th. This is an increase from John Wiley & Sons's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. John Wiley & Sons's payout ratio is presently 33.81%.

About John Wiley & Sons

John Wiley & Sons, Inc is a global publishing and knowledge services company headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1807, Wiley has established itself as a leading provider of scholarly, educational and professional content across scientific, technical, medical and academic disciplines. The company leverages both print and digital platforms to deliver peer-reviewed journals, books, reference works and online resources to researchers, educators, students and professionals around the world.

Wiley's operations are organized into key segments, including Research Publishing, which publishes over 1,600 peer-reviewed journals and a broad suite of digital books; Academic and Professional Learning, which offers course materials, interactive digital platforms and certification programs; and Education Solutions, providing custom learning environments, online degree programs and professional development services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.